4 takeaways from Algeria’s victory over Jordan at the World Cup

In a tense match between two teams who lost their respective Group J openers, Algeria won 2-1 against Jordan after conceding the first goal but scoring twice from set pieces to claim a victory that kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

With this result, Jordan cannot qualify for the round of 16 but will face Argentina in the final. While Algeria and Austria will meet in a match that will decide second place in the group and guarantee advancement.

1. It was a tight, tactical game

It was an interesting tactical battle from the start. It was clear that Algeria would control possession in a 3-4-3 formation while looking to play at a fast pace.

Jordan was going to stay out of possession in a conservative 4-2-3-1 formation and look to aggressively go on offense, force turnovers and take Algeria out of possession. Jordan were the big underdogs in this match and had never won a World Cup match in their history.

Algeria achieved some very important performances. Playmaker Ibrahim Maza of Bayer Leverkusen was instrumental in applying pressure for the full 90 minutes. But immediately, Algeria looked to attack from the outside through left winger Farès Chaïbi and captain Riyad Mahrez on the right side, but neither was effective until the second half.

In their opening match, Jordan lost to Austria 3–1 but was even in the match until the 76th minute. It was an inspired performance as Jordan had Austria on their heels at several points.

In this game, Jordan kept the same tactics and was effective at the beginning, but in the end, Jordan could not keep up with Algeria’s adjustments. Midway through the first half, Algeria had more success attempting to pass balls over the Jordan backline and find Marseille striker Amine Gouiri. Then, in the second half, Algeria simply had too much quality.

2. Algeria won the chess match

Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic made several key decisions in the second half that gave his team a good chance to come back. To start the second half, Petkovic made two key substitutions removing the two deepest midfielders and introducing more attacking options with pace. This also changed the team’s formation to a two-striker setup with the full-backs pushed far forward to combine with the wingers and overload the wide areas.

Around the 60th minute, Algeria took complete control of the match and Jordan was completely overwhelmed. Algerian substitutions made the difference, with Nadir Benbouali equalizing.

For Jordan, manager Jamal Sellami made a major mistake by waiting too long to make his first substitutions. Algeria increased the pace and pressure. Jordan desperately needed to make a substitution to slow the game down and allow everyone to regroup. Sellami seemed to be waiting for the hydration break to make the move, but by then it was too late.

Jordan defended hard and aggressively, but his inability to defend set pieces was his downfall.

3. Costly mistakes played a big role

In this match, the first two goals came from errors.

Jordan were not bothered by Algeria’s huge possession advantage and instead looked to force errors by pressing Algeria in their own half. Jordan’s tactical approach paid off in the 36th minute when they took their first ever lead in a World Cup.

The game started with a very poor decision by Algerian midfielder Ramiz Zerrouki, who had the ball on the right side deep in his own half. He then tried to return a long ball looping into the middle of the field. It was a decision that later brought groans from the large contingent of Algerian supporters inside the stadium.

Jordan striker Mousa Tamari then collected the ball on the right side and played the ball to Nizar Al Rashdan, who then beat Luca Zidane with a smart shot to the side of his foot.

But the objective was completely avoidable from Algeria’s point of view. All that possession only increased the chances that the African team would end up making a mistake. But it was all the more painful because it resulted from a careless decision that offered very little benefit, even if the pass was completed.

In the 69th minute, it was Jordan who conceded an avoidable goal. Algeria were fully in control and had a good run pushing for the equalizer. From a corner, Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila took a few steps as he looked to push the ball away. When he realized he couldn’t reach the ball, he tried to retreat and found himself stuck in no-man’s land as Benbouali headed home.

4. Not a memorable World Cup for Zidane

(Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

During Algeria’s 3–0 defeat to Argentina in the opening match, Zidane was criticized for his performance. On one goal, he made a save but was unable to keep the ball. Instead, he dropped a rebound in the middle of the area, which Lionel Messi was able to push away with ease.

In this match, Zidane will once again be scrutinized by Algerian fans and media because – on Al Rashdan’s goal – Zidane managed to get his hands on the shot, but he failed to push it away from the goal. It wasn’t as egregious a mistake as the one against Algeria, but it was a shot that could have been saved. With Algeria’s World Cup hopes in need of a big halt, Zidane was unable to deliver on his promises.

In this match, Zidane’s mistakes did not cost his team the victory. This remains a very important concern for Algeria as it remains to be seen whether his teammates have confidence in his ability to make big saves in important matches.

It’s a tough situation for Zidane, whose father is one of the greatest players of all time, but this tournament hasn’t gone well for him.